Alabama native set to face Tide

Now his first start at Mississippi State comes against the team he grew up cheering against.

"I've always dreamed of playing Alabama or Auburn," Henig said. "Not only playing them, but starting. It's pretty ironic that my first start's going to be Alabama."

The redshirt freshman who replaced ineffective starter Omarr Conner in last week's loss at Kentucky debuts today as the starter for the Bulldogs (2-6, 0-5 SEC) against the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide.

"He is an intense competitor and he has a knack for making plays, even turning his mistakes into positives," coach Sylvester Croom said. "I think he'll get even better as time goes on."

Henig took over for Conner after two possessions against Kentucky and finished 16 of 21 for 200 yards in the 13-7 defeat.

He faces a huge challenge in his first week as a first-stringer. Alabama (8-0, 5-0) leads the SEC in two key defensive categories, and ranks No. 2 nationally in points allowed (9.2) and No. 3 in the nation in yards allowed (262.1).

"I'm ready for the challenge, (and) this is part of it," Henig said. "Really, all the SEC defenses are going to be good. Everybody's going to be fast, everybody's going to be quick, everybody's going to try to kill you, so I'm not really worried about that."

Maybe that's partly because he spent his early years in Montgomery, Ala., cheering for Auburn and paying close attention to the Tigers' hated rivals from Tuscaloosa. Henig said his family attended Auburn and his mother and a sister were cheerleaders there.

He said Auburn showed only superficial interest in him, and Louisville, Mississippi State "and a bunch of little schools" offered scholarships.

"I really wanted to play in the SEC," Henig said. "That's always been my dream."

He redshirted last season, and moved to No. 2 on the depth chart this offseason when one-time starter Kyle York left the team to enroll in a seminary.

Henig played sparingly in three games before playing extensively against Florida when Conner was knocked out with a bruised chest. Henig was 9 of 20 for 119 yards in the loss to the Gators, then found his groove three weeks later against the Wildcats.

"Against Florida, things were fast, fast, fast. As the fourth quarter came, things started slowing down and I started completing a lot of passes," Henig said. "Against Kentucky, things slowed down and it felt like it did in the fourth quarter against Florida."

Now Henig is preparing for his personal Iron Bowl and is looking to help Mississippi State beat Alabama for the first time since 2000.